Wind Charmer 2018

Michael Cheval painted 'Wind Charmer' with oils, in a way that feels both dreamlike and hyper-real. Look at how smooth the gradations of color are in the sky. It's so different from how I approach painting, I'm always interested in what the paint itself can do. The figure on the left, half woman, half sculpture, is such a curious image. The folds of her dress, are rendered with a loving attention to detail, and it's this detailed quality that really anchors the otherwise surreal scene. There's a lot of emphasis on the fall of light, particularly the way the sky is reflected on the cliffs and in the cloth of the sculpted woman's dress. It reminds me of Delvaux, and that interest in the slightly unsettling juxtaposition. It leaves you with more questions than answers, which is usually my favorite kind of art.